Kathmandu Valley Urban Transportation System Project (Ropeway) (ADB-59163-001)

Regions
  • South Asia
Geographic location where the impacts of the investment may be experienced.
Countries
  • Nepal
Geographic location where the impacts of the investment may be experienced.
Financial Institutions
  • Asian Development Bank (ADB)
International, regional and national development finance institutions. Many of these banks have a public interest mission, such as poverty reduction.
Project Status
Approved
Stage of the project cycle. Stages vary by development bank and can include: pending, approval, implementation, and closed or completed.
Bank Risk Rating
U
Environmental and social categorization assessed by the development bank as a measure of the planned project’s environmental and social impacts. A higher risk rating may require more due diligence to limit or avoid harm to people and the environment. For example, "A" or "B" are risk categories where "A" represents the highest amount of risk. Results will include projects that specifically recorded a rating, all other projects are marked ‘U’ for "Undisclosed."
Voting Date
Nov 13, 2025
Date when project documentation and funding is reviewed by the Board for consideration and approval. Some development banks will state a "board date" or "decision date." When funding approval is obtained, the legal documents are accepted and signed, the implementation phase begins.
Sectors
  • Transport
The service or industry focus of the investment. A project can have several sectors.
Investment Type(s)
Advisory Services
The categories of the bank investment: loan, grant, guarantee, technical assistance, advisory services, equity and fund.
Investment Amount (USD)
$ 2.25 million
Value listed on project documents at time of disclosure. If necessary, this amount is converted to USD ($) on the date of disclosure. Please review updated project documents for more information.
Bank Documents
Primary Source

Original disclosure @ ADB website

Updated in EWS Feb 9, 2026

Disclosed by Bank Nov 13, 2025

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Project Description
If provided by the financial institution, the Early Warning System Team writes a short summary describing the purported development objective of the project and project components. Review the complete project documentation for a detailed description.

ADB has initiated support for sustainable cable car transit in Kathmandu Valley, conducting a pre-feasibility study that identified the Bishnumati river corridor as a suitable route, avoiding UNESCO sites and religious areas. Despite limited local capacity to manage urban and rural transport effectively, the study shows potential for cable-propelled transit to reduce congestion and pollution. Current private sector cable car projects in Nepal mainly cater to tourism, while the need for accessible, affordable public transport solutions remains unmet. To bridge this gap, ADB's TA will include a detailed feasibility study for the Bishnumati corridor and pre-feasibility analysis for two rural routes, assessing demand, economic viability, propulsion systems, and freight options. The project will integrate advanced clean energy components, including renewable energy integration, electric propulsion systems, regenerative braking, digital twins for energy efficiency, battery storage feasibility, and Finite Element Analysis (FEA) for optimizing energy and structural efficiency. The project will support capacity building for cable propelled transit (CPT) systems, focusing on integrating clean energy technologies through training, workshops, and institutional strengthening to enhance operational and technical expertise. It will also aim to create a robust, sustainable public transport framework by integrating policy development, organizational support, regulatory standards, and resilience measures.

 

Investment Description
Here you can find a list of individual development financial institutions that finance the project.

Contact Information
This section aims to support the local communities and local CSO to get to know which stakeholders are involved in a project with their roles and responsibilities. If available, there may be a complaint office for the respective bank which operates independently to receive and determine violations in policy and practice. Independent Accountability Mechanisms receive and respond to complaints. Most Independent Accountability Mechanisms offer two functions for addressing complaints: dispute resolution and compliance review.
Responsible ADB Officer: Ramamurthy, Arun
Responsible ADB Department: Sectors Department 1
Responsible ADB Division: Transport Sector Office (SD1-TRA)
Executing Agencies: Ministry of Physical Infrastructure and Transport

ACCESS TO INFORMATION

You can submit an information request for project information at: https://www.adb.org/forms/request-information-form

ADB has a two-stage appeals process for requesters who believe that ADB has denied their request for information in violation of its Access to Information Policy. You can learn more about filing an appeal at: https://www.adb.org/site/disclosure/appeals

ACCOUNTABILITY MECHANISM OF ADB

The Accountability Mechanism is an independent complaint mechanism and fact-finding body for people who believe they are likely to be, or have been, adversely affected by an Asian Development Bank-financed project. If you submit a complaint to the Accountability Mechanism, they may investigate to assess whether the Asian Development Bank is following its own policies and procedures for preventing harm to people or the environment. You can learn more about the Accountability Mechanism and how to file a complaint at: http://www.adb.org/site/accountability-mechanism/main.

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